On Killing tensors and cubic vertices in higher-spin gauge theories

The problem of determining all consistent non-Abelian local interactions is reviewed in flat space-time. The antifield-BRST formulation of the free theory is an efficient tool to address this problem. Firstly, it allows to compute all on-shell local Killing tensor fields, which are important because of their deep relationship with higher-spin algebras. Secondly, under the sole assumptions of locality and Poincare invariance, all non-trivial consistent deformations of a sum of spin-three quadratic actions deforming the Abelian gauge algebra were determined. They are compared with lower-spin cases.Comment: 10 pages. Based on a talk given by X.B. at the RTN Workshop ``Constituents, Fundamental Forces and Symmetries of the Universe'' (Corfu, 20-26th September 2005). Contribution to the Proceeding

Access Interfaces for Open Archival Information Systems based on the OAI-PMH and the OpenURL Framework for Context-Sensitive Services

In recent years, a variety of digital repository and archival systems have been developed and adopted. All of these systems aim at hosting a variety of compound digital assets and at providing tools for storing, managing and accessing those assets. This paper will focus on the definition of common and standardized access interfaces that could be deployed across such diverse digital respository and archival systems. The proposed interfaces are based on the two formal specifications that have recently emerged from the Digital Library community: The Open Archive Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) and the NISO OpenURL Framework for Context-Sensitive Services (OpenURL Standard). As will be described, the former allows for the retrieval of batches of XML-based representations of digital assets, while the latter facilitates the retrieval of disseminations of a specific digital asset or of one or more of its constituents. The core properties of the proposed interfaces are explained in terms of the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS).Comment: Accepted paper for PV 2005 "Ensuring Long-term Preservation and Adding Value to Scientific and Technical data" (http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/events/pv-2005/

Gauge invariants and Killing tensors in higher-spin gauge theories

In free completely symmetric tensor gauge field theories on Minkowski space-time, all gauge invariant functions and Killing tensor fields are computed, both on-shell and off-shell. These problems are addressed in the metric-like formalisms.Comment: LaTeX, 24 pages, no figure. One reference added and one definition corrected. Accepted for publication in NP

On Nonlinear Higher Spin Curvature

We present the first nonlinear term of the higher spin curvature which is covariant with respect to deformed gauge transformations that are linear in the field. We consider in detail the case of spin 3 after presenting spin 2 as an example, and then construct the general spin s quadratic term of the deWit-Freedman curvature.Comment: 12 page

An infinite supermultiplet of massive higher-spin fields

The representation theory underlying the infinite-component relativistic wave equation written by Majorana is revisited from a modern perspective. On the one hand, the massless solutions of this equation are shown to form a supermultiplet of the superPoincare algebra with tensorial central charges; it can also be obtained as the infinite spin limit of massive solutions. On the other hand, the Majorana equation is generalized for any space-time dimension and for arbitrary Regge trajectories. Inspired from these results, an infinite supermultiplet of massive fields of all spins and of equal mass is constructed in four dimensions and proved to carry an irreducible representation of the orthosymplectic group OSp(1|4) and of the superPoincare group with tensorial charges.Comment: 29 pages, references [30] added. To appear in JHE

Tensor gauge fields in arbitrary representations of GL(D,R): II. Quadratic actions

Quadratic, second-order, non-local actions for tensor gauge fields transforming in arbitrary irreducible representations of the general linear group in D-dimensional Minkowski space are explicitly written in a compact form by making use of Levi-Civita tensors. The field equations derived from these actions ensure the propagation of the correct massless physical degrees of freedom and are shown to be equivalent to non-Lagrangian local field equations proposed previously. Moreover, these actions allow a frame-like reformulation a la MacDowell-Mansouri, without any trace constraint in the tangent indices.Comment: LaTeX, 53 pages, no figure. Accepted for publication in Communications in Mathematical Physics. Local Fierz-Pauli programme achieved by completing the analysis of Labastid

Deformations of duality-symmetric theories

We prove that a sum of free non-covariant duality-symmetric actions does not allow consistent, continuous and local self-interactions that deform the gauge transformations. For instance, non-Abelian deformations are not allowed, even in 4 dimensions where Yang-Mills type interactions of 1-forms are allowed in the non-manifestly duality-symmetric formulation. This suggests that non-Abelian duality should require to leave the standard formalism of perturbative local field theories. The analyticity of self-interactions for a single duality-symmetric gauge field in four dimensions is also analyzed.Comment: 35 pages, typo corrections and one reference added, submitted to Nucl. Phy

Quartet unconstrained formulation for massless higher spin fields

We construct simple unconstrained Lagrangian formulations for massless higher spin fields in flat space of arbitrary dimension and on anti de Sitter background. Starting from the triplet equations of Francia and Sagnotti, which describe a chain of spin modes, we introduce an auxiliary field and find appropriate gauge invariant constraints that single out the spin-s mode. The resulting quartet of fields, thus describing an irreducible representation of the Poincare group, is used to construct simple Lagrangian formulations, which are local, free from higher derivative terms and use equal number of auxiliary fields for an unconstrained description of any value of spin. Our method proves to be most efficient for an unconstrained description of massless higher spin fermions in anti de Sitter space. A relation of the minimal models with the universal BRST approach is discussed.Comment: V4: 27 pages; references and acknowledgement adde

Transverse Invariant Higher Spin Fields

It is shown that a symmetric massless bosonic higher-spin field can be described by a traceless tensor field with reduced (transverse) gauge invariance. The Hamiltonian analysis of the transverse gauge invariant higher-spin models is used to control a number of degrees of freedom.Comment: 12 pages, no figures. The general proof and the example of a spin-3 adde